


Ladybugs and Sunflower Petals

by toskliviydays



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, sibling shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-10
Updated: 2015-06-10
Packaged: 2018-04-03 17:33:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4109242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toskliviydays/pseuds/toskliviydays
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yachi is pretty sure she's just been adopted as a second daughter to the Hinata family, which she's totally fine with seeing as Ms. Hinata isn't <i>actually</i> a spy who she'll have to fight in a field of flowers. She did bring bandages though. The kind with cute little characters on them. Just in case.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ladybugs and Sunflower Petals

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pomme (manta)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/manta/gifts).



> hi! i've never written for these kids, but i hope it turned out alright! i tried not to make it shippy but. ?? ???. it's not but it kept trying to be. lmfao. sorry it's late!
> 
> also sorry about all the errors!!! i hurried with this and no one read over it ;;;; i'll fix them soon;;;

Hinata Shouyou is a boy of purpose.

Which is not to say he is a boy of _planning_. Hinata might not have planned a single thing in his life, not beyond _hey let’s do a thing_ and not unless it had something to do with volleyball. And for Yachi, who scribbles checklists and deadlines on her every page of notes, who is constantly thinking over what she's already done and what she needs to do (if only ever to reassure herself that her actions are correct in that moment), this terrifies her. A little. It is not beyond her scope of notice to realize she can be just as spontaneous, but it's _different_.

Because everything Hinata does in life has vitality, has energy, has a reason for _doing_ that is just as powerful and just as simple as the act of _wanting_. That’s what drives Hinata, she thinks: Hinata wants things, unabashedly and wholeheartedly, nary a thought for whether or not he deserves them. Of course he deserves them, after all; he wants them, and he works for them, so he would get them. Whatever _them_ was.

But Yachi has never been like that. When she wants things, she wants to be  _good enough_. It is never a matter of casting her gaze out upon the world and catching sight of something, honing on it, claiming it as hers. Even when it came to the volleyball club, it was Hinata and Kiyoko who'd sought her out. She _wants_ , but only after being convinced that wanting is okay. She holds back; Hinata sprints forward. 

She admires Hinata and, really, how could she not when he lives as he likes? He pulls her forward simply by existing, a flashing sunbeam that blinds even as it bids her walk into the light.

* * *

Her heart stutters in fear as Hinata flings himself back in his seat suddenly, leaning dangerously back to greet another classmate.

“H-hinata!!! Please!”

He laughs, turning back to her and smiling not-quite-apologetically. “Sorry!”

But he hardly gets the word out of his mouth before he's smacked by Kageyama, previously staring intently at his homework as if it might terrify the worksheet into doing itself.

Hinata glares. “I _said_ sorry!”

“Dumbass, you’re making too much noise.”

Yachi relaxes back into her seat, glancing nervously around the room. Her classmates have long grown accustomed to their outbursts. She doesn’t know whether she should feel apologetic about that or not. But before she can think about it for more than a moment, Hinata is calling for her attention again. She answers him with a curious smile.

“Are you busy this weekend?”

It is such a strange question that she can hardly think of how to answer it. She stares, Kageyama grumpily asks if Hinata is trying to pull ahead behind his back.

She flips through her planner before they can squabble, loudly and pointedly and in the way Kiyoko has been teaching her. She... _is_ busy, but not overly so. They don't have practice on Saturday, after all, and she only thought to fill that space with homework. “Why do you ask?”

As if not anticipating he get that far, Hinata shrinks slightly back into his seat, nearly mumbling his words. “My mom told me to ask if you wanted to come with us to go flower picking as, uhm, a thank you for helping me out so much and _no_ Kageyama you _can't_ go because this is a ‘girl outing’ according to Natsu but she likes me _best_ so I’m allowed, ha ha ha.”

“That doesn’t even make sense. And I don’t want to go!”

“ _You_ don’t make sense and _good_!”

Yachi can’t help but ignore them for a moment, slightly overwhelmed by the thought that Hinata’s mother knows enough about her to invite her somewhere. How does she know? _What_ does she know? Is Hinata’s mother the sort of person to interrogate teenagers? Is Hinata’s mother a secret agent?? Has Yachi interacted with any other secret agents recently? Is _she_ a secret agent? What if Yachi is a sleeper agent and she just doesn’t remember because she’s been _brainwashed_ not to recall her _training_ until the proper moment occurs and Mrs. Hinata _finds_ _out_ and there's some sort of showdown in this flower field and she has to _fight_ Hinata’s _mother_ and what if she DOESN’T REMEMBER HER TRAINING--

“Yachiii, are you okay?”

She takes a sudden and deep breath, holds it in for a moment as she looks Hinata in the eyes. He looks concerned. She lets the air out in a rush. “Your mom’s not a spy, right?”

“I wish! That would be so cool.”

Well, if Mrs. Hinata isn’t a spy, then of course. She smiles, calm. “That sounds really nice.”

Kageyama scoffs, prompting both Hinata and Yachi to jump to his assurance, simultaneously promising to take him out somewhere. Yachi is perhaps more sweet and genuine about it, Hinata feigning annoyance as he teases Kageyama for being ‘too lonely.’

As the bell rings, they all bid each other goodbye and thanks, Hinata promising to talk to her again after practice.

* * *

When morning strikes the next day, Yachi wakes simply and fully, eyes blinking open alongside the steady fill of her first conscious breath, gaze focusing on the textures and pinpricks of her ceiling with her steady exhale. She thinks about how she drooled a little in her sleep and how she forgot to put her math notes (marked up extensively should she need to explain the concept to Hinata and Kageyama) back in her backpack before going to bed. She takes another steady breath, watching the way the sun filters gently in through the blinds, listening to the birds titter and tweet outside. Her mom often curses at them on mornings she stays up the whole night long, working on something and forgetting to sleep (but always catching up because her mom is nothing if not in charge of every aspect of her life), but Yachi likes the way they sing for the arrival of a new day. It makes her smile; makes her, too, want to sing.

Yachi slips out of bed and out of her room, wandering into the kitchen to make breakfast. She’s slept in-- less because she meant to and more because she stayed up too long trying to finish everything due come Monday-- but it is no matter; her mom gave her permission to go with the Hinatas the night before, after a quick (and exuberant) call to their mother, and they would be showing up in two hours to collect. She’s already packed her bag (though she will, surely, check it again before she leaves) and all that's really left to do is… well, get dressed. Hinata assured her that she didn’t need to bring anything, food included, and she is left feeling a little antsy without a lunch to cook or an occasion to pack for. As if having nothing to do is a foreign thing.

But after taking up being manager, it _is_ beginning to feel like that's the case. Which is certainly not to say she doesn't enjoy it; she loves every minute she spends with the volleyball club. Between its tenacious players, it’s beautiful older manager, and it’s kind adult supervisor and coach, and she is more than happy to improve her own skills by lending them to the team. She wanted to be manager for a reason. But the hollow feeling of inactivity still leaves her feeling like she's missing something important, just a little too uneasy to relax.

After an hour of getting ready and another of wasting time on the couch, Yachi jumps to her feet with the resounding ring of the doorbell, heart fluttering hummingbird-fast in her chest. “Coming!” she shouts, but it squeaks out of her chest, too quiet to be heard any distance away. She picks up her bag, panics, runs to the kitchen and shoves an unopen bag of cookies inside for good measure, and slips quickly into her shoes. By the time she opens the door to Hinata’s somewhat pouting face (the one he uses when bored and waiting and _nervous_ but not wanting to seem it), she is already out of breath. “Hello!”

Hinata brightens immediately upon seeing her, taking her hand and dragging her off immediately, chatter ready on his lips. “Hello!”

But she pulls back. Not because she is bothered by it-- it feels as if she is being led quickly away by him to something more often than she is not-- but she still has something to do. “Let me lock the door!”

Hinata lets go then, blinking. “Oh. Right. Sorry. Your mom’s not home, is she?”

She's quick, locking the door and dropping the key in the smallest pocket of her bag. “No. She left earlier this morning. I think they’re working on a big project? She seemed really fired up about it!”

“That’s exciting!”

Hinata leads them to a small white car, opening the door for her with the sort of pomp and grand expression that has her thinking he's acting for his sister, or otherwise still stuck in the habit of it. It makes her smile, and she curtsies for him before getting in.

“Hitoka-chan! It’s nice to meet you; Shouyou’s talked a lot about you. Thank you for helping him out so much; I don’t think he would be doing nearly so well in school without your help!”

Yachi looks across the seats to Hinata’s mother, mesmerized for a moment by her gentle smile, her hair just as vibrant as her children’s but not nearly so wild. Like a sunshine halo on an angel. Most certainly not a secret agent assassin.

She stutters out a small, “it’s nothing!” and then a quick “thank you very much for inviting me!” all followed by an even more nervous “I know Hinata said not to bring anything but I brought some cookies! As thank you! Th-they’re only store bought, so…” But Hinata’s mother only laughs, lightly and without offense, thanking her for the thought.

With that Hinata joins them, and they take off quietly from the curb.

It is not long at all before Natsu makes herself known, twisting around in her seat to look behind her, holding out a small little hand with fingers splayed by effort. “Princess Yachi!! Hello!! A pleasure to meet you!!” She takes the young girl's hand without thinking, startled, and shakes it twice.

“Princesses curtsie, honey.” Mrs. Hinata is looking at the road with an indulgent smile.

“But I am _sitting_. And she curtsied when she got in the car! I’ll curtsie when we get there, okay??”

Yachi smiles too, a little overwhelmed but already incredibly endeared. “Okay. We’re going to pick flowers, right? I’ll teach you how to make a flower crown; that way you can be a flower princess.”

All Yachi hears is the loud, excited gasp of a child, followed swiftly by the thumps of energetic legs kicking out towards the dash, and Yachi can't help but relax for the first time that morning.

Natsu proceeds to fire questions at her from the front seat-- how old is she? is she in the volleyball club with her brother? what kind of flowers are her favorite, does she draw, can she play the piano-- allowing Yachi time to answer only a few before she begins talking about her _own_ day, about their plans, about how she and her mother and her brother and her brother’s friend are going to have _so much fun_. She stumbles over her words a bit and it is quite clear the resemblance she holds to her brother, even disregarding their appearances, even disregarding that she is strapped down to a car seat. A _star_. As Hinata takes over the storytelling, gesticulating wildly, Yachi sits back in her seat and smiles. adding information when Hinata forgets.

Hinata, at some point, brings up Yachi’s posters, and his mother gives a delighted gasp, looking at Yachi in the backseat mirror. “That was you? You’re so talented! Shouyou showed me, but I supposed it never connected that that was you. My, so smart and pretty too!!”

Yachi sputters, flushing red at the praise, but she can’t even get out a rebuttal or a thank you before Natsu pipes up again, flailing wildly. “ARE YOU FAMOUS? ARE YOU ON BILLBOARDS? ARE ANY OF THESE BILLBOARDS BY YOU? I BET THAT ONE, IT’S BRIGHT AND CUTE AND LOOKS LIKE YOU’D MAKE IT. I LIKE IT. WILL YOU MAKE ME A POSTER?”

She’s a flustered mess, barely wheezing out much of anything, but when she looks over at Hinata he's _grinning_ , proud, and it takes a moment for her to realize that he's _showing her off_. He is proud of her, of having her as a friend, and she cannot even doubt her own self-centered conclusion when Hinata’s face, ever an open book, is directed squarely at her. His expression is like when he gloats about the volleyball team, about his upperclassmen and his teammates, and she is so flattered by the realization--he thinks highly of her at all-- that she's struck speechless.

As they pull into the park, Natsu and Hinata are unbuckling themselves and jumping immediately out of the car, out onto the grass, Natsu chasing Hinata and Hinata pretending to be caught. Yachi and Mrs. Hinata are much more sedate, grabbing their things and locking up. Mrs. Hinata gives her another soft smile. “He can get to be a handful, can’t he? But he means very well. He has a lot of love in his heart.”

Yachi thinks about the way Hinata invests himself in all of his friends, bringing them in like a whirlwind to his world-- one bright and vibrant and _close_ \-- completely genuine and entirely assured. She thinks about his intensity that sometimes frightens her but never exhausts her and she thinks about the thoughtless certainly of his every act. She thinks that Hinata Shouyou is a boy of purpose, but he is also a boy of love.

Yachi offers Mrs. Hinata a smile of her own then, a little shy as she agrees. “He does. I’m happy to have him as a friend.”

Hinata comes up running then, Natsu secured atop his shoulders and squealing with delight. “Should we get the picnic stuff now?"

“Why don’t you kids go and start looking at the flowers? I’ll call you back when it’s ready.”

“Okay!”

But before they can get anywhere, Natsu is shouting “wait!!!” with enough urgency Yachi thinks she might have forgotten about the deadline of the most important project of her career. She proceeds to clamber down her older sibling’s body, tugging at his hair and digging her shoes into his hips even as he yelps, and before she knows it the small wild-haired child is grinning up at her, clearing her throat and falling into a small curtsy. “Princess Yachi! It is a pleasure to meet you, here at this flower ball!”

Yachu can't help but stare a moment, a startled laugh pressing past her lips. She curtsies back, as elegant and dramatic as she can manage. She's never pretended to want to join the drama club. “The pleasure is mine, princess! And the same to your brother, the prince.” She nods to Hinata, who was taking the moment to rub at his aching scalp and pout.

“You have to curtsy too, Shouyou!”

For a moment he looks as if he might object-- either because his sister just _wounded_ him or because he simply did not like the thought-- but then he falls suddenly and clumsily into what might pass as a curtsy to anyone but Natsu. She demands he do it again. And again, until he gets it right. It devolves quickly into the three of them marching forward in halting curtsy steps, laughing and dizzy and nearly falling over by the time they finally make it to the field of wildflowers. It all makes Yachi very glad that she wore tights and a longer skirt.

They spend the next half an hour in a field of purples, blues, yellows and whites that wave at them in the breeze. They stumble upon a grove of sunflowers after some exploring, Natsu tripping upon a clump of roots as she walks closer, head tilted back in obvious awe of their height. For a moment she looks as if she can not decide on whether or not to cry, but instead-- and before Yachi or Hinata can reach forward to soothe her-- she shouts, “Shouyo! Jump tall!” and he does. Without thinking at all.

It is early in the season and the flowers are not nearly as tall as they seem to Natsu-- towering, like trees!-- but the feat of jumping taller of them did nothing to lesser her awe. On the contrary, it prompts her to coo out oohs and aahs instead for her brother. Imagine that! Jumping higher than sunflowers that were higher than trees! Not having it in her to disagree, Yachi just reaches into her bag, pulling out a small ziploc bag of medical supplies that she carries around at all times. Carefully, she pulls out a wipe and a few bandages, asking Natsu calmly to sit still so she could put some cute bandages on her scraped up hands.

The shining admiration is so bright in her eyes at that moment that Hinata blurts out, without quite thinking about it, “D-don’t steal my sister!!” and Yachi smiles.

Eventually they begin heading back to the park for lunch, Yachi realizing quite suddenly that they are far out of sight and earshot of the Hinatas’ mother. On the way she carefully instructs Natsu on what kind of flowers and stems would be best for making chains, all of them returning to Mrs. Hinata with handfuls of flora (but don’t take too many!). Over lunch (and a box of slightly melted store bought cookies) they continue to talk, the Hinatas telling Yachi funny family stories, embarrassing the lot of them in turn while she helps to create little circlets that they place upon their heads. Flower royalty at the flower ball.

Natsu becomes enamored with Yachi after that, poking at and praising her hair clips, telling her how cute she looks and hoping out loud to herself that she would look as cute in the future.

“But you do look cute, Natsu! I love your hair ties!”

“I mean _adult cute_.”

“I-I’m only in high school…”

Hinata, slightly jealous, tries ceaselessly to get his sister’s attention, but it's all for naught. His mother looks on, amused and endeared.

As morning bleeds to afternoon and the breeze begins to pick up, they pick up their lunch and pack away their things, the flowers they want to keep wrapped up in watery bags and placed in a cooler that Mrs. Hinata thought to bring. The ride back is far more quiet than the rest of the day, soothing music playing while Natsu dozes, Hinata and Yachi hot on her heels. Before she knows it she is being nudged awake, Hinata’s eyes gentle and cloudy from the nap he, too, has just apparently woken from. She finds herself suddenly becoming incredibly self-conscious; did she look weird? Has she drooled?? Is it impolite to sleep in someone else’s car? She thought the day had gone so well, what if she messed it up right at the end!

But before she can fret too much, Mrs. Hinata is turning just enough in her seat to look at her, her voice the perfect balance of soft yet audible that all most mothers seemed to adopt in the presence of a sleeping child. Yachi doesn’t think hers ever has. She remembers waking up a lot. “Thank you so much for coming out with us, Hitoka-chan. It’s a shame we don’t live closer; I’d make sure to invite you over much more. But, we’ll see. Tell your mother hello for me.”

Yachi nods, smiling, and gets out of the car. She tries to close the door as quietly as possible-- slow! but forceful! make it lock!-- only to let it loose and allow it to slam when Hinata appears suddenly by her side. She breathes out a sigh, giving a long look to Hinata’s not-quite-apologetic grin.

“I’ll walk you to your door!”

“Okay.”

It is quiet between them, the sounds of spring just as present as the sunshine that pressed down on their shoulders, bright but ambient. As they get to her door, they turn to each other squarely, a bit unsure of what to do. But… with her conversation with Mrs. Hinata…

“Thank you. I know your mom invited me, but, uh, thank you for! Thinking well enough of me to speak to her about me??” Suddenly flustered, she bows. Just slightly; just enough not to look at his face.

Hinata’s voice is bright. “I think my mom wants to keep you, actually. Natsu too. I’ll have to hear them complain about me going to school so far away again.”

She shoots up straight, gaze still down. “But I’m glad you did! Because if you hadn’t, I’d never have met you, and I’d never have had the courage to join the volleyball club… and it’s been really important to me! I might never had any courage at all this year without you. And I wouldn't have been able to be useful, and learn so much, and! Uh! I appreciate you!”

She feels silly, like a confessing schoolgirl, but she _isn't_. She isn’t confessing her love for Hinata, not really, but she is confessing how highly she thinks of him, that she is grateful to him. She hopes that comes across properly. Otherwise it would be so awkward. She already knows her mother will tease her for a week about her ‘’date.’’

When she finally looks up, tentative in the stretch of silence, it is to see Hinata looking a vibrant mix of delighted and embarrassed, face red, fingers fidgeting. “I’m glad I did too! Otherwise I probably would have failed math.” (Yachi couldn’t help but blurt out a tiny little laugh. Hinata looked less nervous.) “You’re really important, Yachi! To the club, and to me. And. Uh. Not _actually_ just because the math. I appreciate you too.”

They look at each other for a moment, the buzz of the air settling into their own familiarity, more subdued by a recent nap and a pleasant, sun-kissed day. “Okay, Hinata. Well, I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Of course!”

When he left, leaping into his mother's car, she felt light.

**Author's Note:**

> and on monday hinata's mom makes him take yachi the flowers she forgot in the car and everybody teases them tuh dah
> 
> i didn't even try to think about the japanese school year with this idk. idk. i hope you enjoyed.


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